Mount Murphy
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Mount Murphy () is a snow-covered mountain with steep, rocky slopes rising to https://worldribus.org/west-antarctica-ranges/ in
Marie Byrd Land Marie Byrd Land (MBL) is an unclaimed region of Antarctica. With an area of , it is the largest unclaimed territory on Earth. It was named after the wife of American naval officer Richard E. Byrd, who explored the region in the early 20th centu ...
, Antarctica. It is directly south of Bear Peninsula and is bounded by
Smith Glacier Smith Glacier ( is a low-gradient Antarctica, Antarctic glacier, over 160 km (100 mi) long, draining from Toney Mountain in an ENE direction to Amundsen Sea. A northern distributary, Kohler Glacier, drains to Dotson Ice Shelf but the ma ...
, Pope Glacier, and Haynes Glacier. Volcanic activity began in the
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
with the eruption of
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
ic and
trachytic Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava (or shallow intrusions) enri ...
lava. Volcanism on the slopes of the volcano resumed much later during the
Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
, with a
parasitic cone A parasitic cone (also adventive cone, satellite cone, satellitic cone or lateral cone) is the cone-shaped accumulation of volcanic material not part of the central vent of a volcano. It forms from eruptions from fractures on the flank of the ...
having been K–Ar dated to 0.9 million years old.


Location

The Mount Murphy massif lies on the south shore of the
Crosson Ice Shelf The Crosson Ice Shelf () is an ice shelf, about wide, located north and northeast of Mount Murphy along the Walgreen Coast of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. The ice shelf is nurtured by Smith Glacier, Pope Glacier, Vane Glacier, and Haynes Glac ...
, which extends into the
Amundsen Sea The Amundsen Sea is an arm of the Southern Ocean off Marie Byrd Land in western Antarctica. It lies between Cape Flying Fish (the northwestern tip of Thurston Island) to the east and Cape Dart on Siple Island to the west. Cape Flying Fish ...
on the
Walgreen Coast The Walgreen Coast () is a portion of the coast of Antarctica between Cape Herlacher and Cape Waite, or between Eights Coast on the east and Bakutis Coast in the west. It is part of Marie Byrd Land. It extends from 103°24'W to 114°12'W. It ...
of Marie Byrd Land. The Haynes Glacier flows into the ice shelf to its east, and the Pope Glacier flows into the ice shelf to the west. The Roos Glacier and Vane Glacier flow from the massif towards the ice shelf. Features, clockwise from the northwest, include Kay Peak, Buettner Peak, Grew Peak, Benedict Peak, Eisberg Head, Callender Peak, Boyd Head, Hawkins Peak, Bucher Peak, Sechrist Peak, Dorrel Rock, Turtle Peak, Hedin Nunatak.


Mapping and name

Mount Murphy was delineated from aerial photographs taken by
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
Operation Highjump Operation HIGHJUMP, officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946–1947, (also called Task Force 68), was a United States Navy (USN) operation to establish the Antarctic research base Little America (exploration b ...
in January 1947. It was named by the United States
Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (ACAN or US-ACAN) is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending commemorative names for features in Antarctica. History The committee was established ...
(US-ACAN) for
Robert Cushman Murphy file:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18156963552).jpg, The whaling ship, ''Daisy'', which Murphy traveled on to the Antarctic Robert Cushman Murphy (April 29, 1887 – March 20, 1973) was an American ornithologist and Lamont Curator of ...
of the American Museum of Natural History, noted authority on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic bird life. While serving on the whaler, he charted the Bay of Isles region of South Georgia.}


Glaciers


Haynes Glacier

. A broad glacier flowing to Walgreen Coast, to the east of Mount Murphy. Mapped by the
United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...
(USGS) from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN after Major John W. Haynes, USMC, aircraft pilot on Operation Deep Freeze 1967 and 1968, who made a photographic flight over this glacier on January 1, 1967.


Pope Glacier

. A glacier about long, flowing north along the west side of Mount Murphy to Crosson Ice Shelf. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN after Major Donald R. Pope, (CE) United States Army, civil engineer on the staff of the Commander, Naval Support Force, Antarctica, 1965–67.


Roos Glacier

. A steep glacier that drains the northwest slopes of Mount Murphy. Named by US-ACAN after S. Edward Roos, oceanographer with the Byrd Antarctic Expeditions of 1928-30 and 1933–35.


Vane Glacier

. A broad glacier that drains the northeast slopes of Mount Murphy. It enters Crosson Ice Shelf between Eisberg Head and Boyd Head. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN for Gregg A. Vane, United States Exchange Scientist at the Soviet station Novolazerevskaya in 1972.


Features


Kay Peak

. A pyramidal peak, high, near the end of the large spur descending northwest from the Mount Murphy massif. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN for Lieutenant Commander W. Kay, United States Navy, leader of the Construction Unit at South Pole Station during Operation Deep Freeze 1973.


Buettner Peak

. A sharp peak rising midway along the north wall of Roos Glacier in the northwest part of the Mount Murphy massif. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy aerial photographs, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN for Robert J. Buettner (1914–75), manager of contract logistics support provided to the United States Antarctic program by Holmes and Narver, Inc. This work took him to Antarctica at least five times between 1969 and 1974.


Grew Peak

. A peak over high, one of several named peaks on the Mount Murphy massif. The feature is located on the northeast spur of the massif, between Benedict Peak and the loftier summit peaks. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN for Edward Grew, United States Exchange Scientist to the Soviet Antarctic station Molodezhnaya in 1973.


Benedict Peak

. A sharp, mostly ice-covered subsidiary peak standing northeast of the summit of Mount Murphy. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN for Philip C. Benedict, aurora researcher at Byrd Station in 1966.


Eisberg Head

. A headland consisting of steep cliffs marked by rocky exposures, located just west of the mouth of Vane Glacier. The headland is the north extremity of a mountainous ridge descending from the central part of the Mount Murphy massif. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN for Commander (later Captain) Harry B. Eisberg, United States Navy, Staff Medical Officer on Operation Highjump, 1946–47.


Callender Peak

. Precipitous, mainly ice-covered subsidiary peak on the Mount Murphy massif, located east-northeast of the summit of Mount Murphy. First mapped by USGS from air photos obtained in January 1947 by United States Navy Operation Highjump. Named by US-ACAN after Lieutenant Gordon W. Callender (CEC), United States Navy, officer in charge of Byrd Station in 1966.


Boyd Head

. Prominent headland close east of the mouth of Vane Glacier on the coast of Marie Byrd Land. It rises over high and has rock exposed to seaward. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN for Captain Hugh F. Boyd III, United States Army, Construction Projects Officer during Operation Deep Freeze 1972 and 1973.


Hawkins Peak

. A small summit peak on a mostly ice covered and rounded mass located southeast of Mount Murphy. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN for Major Billy R. Hawkins, a member of the United States Army Aviation Detachment in Antarctica, 1966–67.


Bucher Peak

. One of the highest peaks high in the west-central summit area of the Mount Murphy massif. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN for noted American geologist Walter H. Bucher, Professor of Geology at Columbia University, 1940–56.


Sechrist Peak

. A peak high on the southwest spur of the Mount Murphy massif. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN for Frank S. Sechrist, United States Exchange Scientist at the Soviet Molodezhnaya station in 1975.


Dorrel Rock

. A rock outcrop southwest of the summit of Mount Murphy, protruding through the ice near the head of Pope Glacier. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN after Leo E. Dorrel, United States Navy, hospital corpsman with the Byrd Station winter party, 1966.


Turtle Peak

. Conspicuous, nearly bare rock summit rising to south of Hedin Nunatak. The peak is joined at its south side to an ice-covered spur which descends southwest from Mount Murphy. Mapped by USGS from surveys and United States Navy air photos, 1959–66. Named by US-ACAN after John P. Turtle, aurora researcher at Byrd Station in 1962.


Hedin Nunatak

. A conspicuous nunatak with a flat top capped with ice and steep bare rock walls, standing west-northwest of the summit of Mount Murphy. First roughly mapped from air photos taken in January 1947 by United States Navy Operation Highjump. Named by US-ACAN after Alan E. Hedin, aurora researcher at Byrd Station in 1962.


References


Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Mount Polygenetic shield volcanoes Volcanoes of Marie Byrd Land Mount Murphy Pleistocene shield volcanoes Shield volcanoes of Antarctica